Daily Headlines: December 1, 2011
Districts Pay Less in Poor Schools, Report Says
New York Times, NY, December 1, 2011
Its conclusion: Tens of thousands of schools serving low-income students are being shortchanged because districts spend fewer state and local dollars on teacher salaries in those schools than on salaries in schools serving higher-income students.
My Favorite Adversary, Diane Ravitch
Washington Post Blog, DC, December 1, 2011
The national debate over how to fix our schools descends too often into well-phrased but acidic name-calling, like you hear at college department meetings.
The Achievement Gap Is A Middle Class Issue
Twin City Daily Planet, MN, November 30, 2011
A recent study by Sean Reardon of Stanford University finds that the achievement gap between the upper and middle classes is bigger than the gap between the middle class and the working poor. This should give pause to those who dismiss education reform as something that affects other people. If you’re middle class, you’re on the losing side of the achievement gap.
STATE COVERAGE
State Still Looking Into NCLB Waivers
Juneau Empire, AK, December 1, 2011
The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development is still looking at all the factors for applying for a newly offered waiver to the No Child Left Behind Act rules.
Pulling the Trigger on Failing Schools
LA Weekly, CA, December 1, 2011
One year later, with that colossal bust under their belts, Parent Revolution organizers are taking a more careful approach. Instead of pushing disenfranchised parents into battle under a shiny Parent Revolution flag, the organization has been fostering “parent unions” at schools across California .
Sweetwater Won’t Exclude Students from SDSU Compact
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, November 30, 2011
After an outcry from charter school parents, the Sweetwater Union High School District dropped plans Wednesday to limit access to a program that guarantees entrance to San Diego State University .
The Education Revolution
Orange County Register , CA, November 30, 2011
On Monday, the Brea Olinda Unified School District board of education is expected to announce whether it will approve a petition submitted by a group of parents to create a K-8 multiage public charter school in Brea .
Jerry Brown’s Suspicion of School Reform Leaves Us In Limbo
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, November 30, 2011
But on one of the biggest state issues of all, however, there is no such speculation about what Brown says and what he really wants. On education, the governor hasn’t just been inscrutable; he’s been incoherent.
Teacher Faction Expands to L.A.
Wall Street Journal, December 1, 2011
An organization of young teachers who support overhauling union contracts launched a new chapter in Los Angeles Wednesday, part of a growing faction of groups that have successfully challenged old-guard labor leaders to overhaul the nation’s schools.
Report Seeks Better DPS Data To Evaluate Reforms
Denver Post, CO, December 1, 2011
A new report compiled by a coalition of local nonprofit groups is urging Denver Public Schools to press for better data and to evaluate reforms more closely.
Bipartisan Group of Top Virginia Politicos Back School Tax Credit
Washington Times Blog, DC, November 30, 2011
What do Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, Senate candidate Tim Kaine — all Democrats — have in common with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Senate candidate George Allen, and Gov. Bob McDonnell — have in common besides being commonwealth lawmakers?
Miami-Dade Teachers Union May Have To Revote On Contract
Miami Herald, FL, November 30, 2011
A state hearing officer has recommended that the United Teachers of Dade schedule a revote on the union’s contract with the Miami-Dade School District , following a complaint filed by a teacher about votes being taken online.
Teachers To Be Evaluated On New Student Achievement, Objectives
Gainesville Times, GA, December 1, 2011
Hall County and Gainesville school districts today are submitting to the state new objectives for students as part of a pilot program starting in January.
CPS Plans To Shut 2 Grade Schools, Phase Out 2 High Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 1, 2011
Chicago Public Schools officials unveiled the next phase of their district reorganization Wednesday, announcing they will seek to close two underperforming elementary schools and begin to phase out two troubled high schools next school year.
Chicago Moving In Right Direction To Fix Schools
Chicago Sun Times, IL, November 30, 2011
Each and every day, more than 100,000 students go to low-performing Chicago public schools, cheating them out of the best chance they have for a decent start in life.
Teachers Association Launches New Program
Merced Sun-Star, IN, December 1, 2011
The MCTA is using funds from a grant provided by the National Education Association to develop a program benefiting underachieving students. A main focus is involving parents who might have felt disenfranchised from education in the past.
Public Scrutinizes Education Reform Plan
Keokuk Gate City Daily, IA, November 30, 2011
Local educators and community members have a plethora of concerns about Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s proposed education reform plan for the state, which they expressed Monday at an educational listening post moderated by local legislators and a ranking member of the Iowa House Education Appropriations Committee.
Blueprint or Boondoggle?
Ames Tribune, IA, November 30, 2011
Underneath a picture of five carefree and smiling children is the tagline: One Unshakable Vision. It’s the cover page of Gov. Terry Branstad’s ambitious education reform plan for Iowa, and while the vision may not be shaken, one major component has been delayed while others have drawn sharp criticism.
Some Give City Teachers’ Contract Failing Grade
WBAL Baltimore, MD, November 30, 2011
The latest version of the Baltimore City teachers’ contract appears to be a work in progress with some who still give it a failing grade.
Block Back-Door Charter Cap Tactic
The Detroit News, MI, December 1, 2011
As state lawmakers take the correct course toward lifting the cap on charter schools, some Democrats are trying to block the move by raising the boogeyman of “profits.” Their proposal to ban for-profit charters should be taken for what it is — a backdoor tactic to limit charters and preserve the teacher union’s monopoly on school children.
Legislators Risk Michigan’s Children In Charter Gamble
Detroit Free Press, MI, December 1, 2011
The Michigan Legislature appears determined to prove that a wide-open school market will rocket the state’s students to the head of the national class. But the experiment it is trying to inflict on children and their parents is ill-conceived and dangerous.
House Bill Lifting Charter School Limit Advances
The Detroit News, MI, December 1, 2011
The House Education Committee on Wednesday advanced the first in a package of bills aimed at lifting the lid on charter schools in the state, over objections from Democrats and the state’s largest teachers union.
Oakland County Superintendents Unsupportive Of Charter School Bill
Royal Oak Daily Tribune, MI, November 30, 2011
Avondale Superintendent George Heitsch is urging parents in his district to tell their lawmakers to vote against a bill that would allow more charter schools to open in the state.
Jersey City Rally of Foes of Proposed School Voucher Plan Hears Former State Legislator And Education Official Warn That $1.2 Billion Might Flow From State Treasury To Private Schools
Jersey Journal, NJ, December 1, 2011
Some 50 people rallied yesterday at a Jersey City school against proposed state legislation that would use public money to pay for the private school education of some low-income students.
Two Decades On, Opportunity Scholarship Act Remains Moving Target
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, December 1, 2011
Yesterday, it was a rally in opposition to the proposed Opportunity Scholarship Act, although the sparse crowd in the Jersey City school auditorium made it more a polite gathering than a protest.
Emotions Explode at Raucous Cobble Hill Charter School Hearing
Brooklyn Eagle, NY, November 30, 2011
Catcalls, boos and cries of “Shame!” accompanied testimony at a raucous charter school co-location hearing Tuesday night in Cobble Hill, where former Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz plans to open a new Success Academy charter at a site that houses three existing public schools.
Charter School Slated To Open
Riverdale Press, NY, November 30, 2011
There’s a new middle school in town. Officials plan to open the Tech International Charter School , or TI Charter, to at least 88 sixth graders in fall 2012.
Mayor: ‘I Am Against Charter Schools in Voorhees’
Voorhees Sun, NJ, November 30, 2011
The issue of charter schools has recently become a controversial topic in Voorhees Township .
Resolution Would Give Municipalities Say Over Mayoral Academies
Providence Journal, RI, November 30, 2011
City Councilor Bryan Principe has submitted a resolution that would require City Council approval before the state could endorse a mayoral academy in its city or town.
Public Education’s Biggest Problem Is Funding
Desert News, UT, December 1, 2011
It’s time for the Legislature to reinvest in the future and the students if we are to maintain that status. The public should not be distracted by legislators’ unwillingness to face this real, pressing problem by efforts to blame collective bargaining or teacher accountability
Some Fear New South Weber Charter School Will Hurt Elementary School
Standard Examiner, UT, November 30, 2011
What affect will a new charter school have on the only existing school in the city? That’s the biggest concern surrounding HighMark Charter School, which will open in August of 2012. The public charter school will serve kindergarten through eighth grade the first year, and ninth grade will be added for the 2012-2013 school year.
Innovate Washington state’s K-12 Schools, Don’t Cut The School Year
Seattle Times, WA, November 30, 2011
Guest columnist Robin Lake argues that Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposal to cut the K-12 school year by four days if voters don’t approve a tax increase is a false choice. She suggests several ideas for how savings can be found short of cutting the school year.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Schools Add Internet Etiquette, Safety To Coursework
USA Today, November 30, 2011
As more students spend large chunks of study and leisure time online, schools across the USA are adding coursework focused on privacy, cyberbullying and electronic plagiarism.
Virtual Classrooms: an Exit Strategy from Toxic Public School Culture?
New American, November 30, 2011
Homeschooling and the computer: a match made in heaven? In many ways, yes. Homeschoolers can access lessons from online sites to successfully complete their education goals, but with a couple of caveats.
Tigard-Tualatin School District Seeks Real Space For Virtual School
Tualatin Times, OR, December 1, 2011
The Tigard-Tualatin Schools District is one step closer to kicking off a new online learning academy that could open its doors as soon as February.